Home > Behar Compares Arizona Immigration Law to 'Gay Bashing' and 'Fascism'

Behar Compares Arizona Immigration Law to 'Gay Bashing' and 'Fascism'

By

Sarah Knoploh

April 30, 2010 - 1:00am

Joy Behar, along with three guests, continued to crusade against the new Arizona immigration law on April 29.

Guests included Phoenix major Phil Gordon, actress Rosie Perez and singer Jon Secada who all joined Behar in bashing the law.

Liberal Behar attempted to link immigration reform to attacks on gays saying, “You know I was thinking of how it's similar to gay bashing in a way. Because, you know, they'll come in from other parts of the country or wherever and they'll attack some gay guys in the Village here and Chelsea in New York City based on the way they look. It's a very similar thing that's going on. We're going to judge you on how you look, we're gonna throw you in jail, and also they're gonna throw these people in jail for six months?”

Behar also complained that the law was “immoral and it reeks of fascism.” She repeated herself later in the program saying, “It's interesting. There is a kind of a whiff of fascism in my opinion.”

Gordon replied, “It's not a whiff. I'm looking at, you know, Neo-Nazi banners and swastikas. You know, with their letters on it. These, these, these people that have come out from under the rocks under this guise of patriotism are, you know, are these extreme militia anti-government groups that now get to associate with people like [Sheriff] Joe Arpaio, the gentleman, if I can call him that, that drafted this law and put it through.”

Just a few days earlier on April 26, Behar compared the bill to Nazism: “Do you think it's kind of – doesn't it feel like sort of Nazism a little bit? [1]

Behar and her April 29 guests had harsh words for the bill. Perez labeled it “disgusting” and said “it is 100 percent completely wrong.” Gordon said Behar and Perez were “understating how bad this is ethically, morally.”

Gordon also claimed “it's already spreading to see who now can become more racist and extreme, Texas and California.”

Even the clips shown to the audience were vehemently opposed to the immigration law based on racism. One Reverend labeled it “racist” and a “sin.” The Pima County Sheriff was featured calling it “stupid” and “racist.”

The one-sided dialogue left little room for actual debate about the bill.

Even Behar admitted she was using her broadcast to show her support her against the bill. She asked Gordon if did his “heart a little bit good” to know that people in the media were “speaking out against it?”

Behar also prognosticated about the bill's impact on the next election saying, “I think that the party that backs this kind of law is going to suffer in the next election. And after that even.”

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